“The good rating is an endorsement of the hard work and dedication of our excellent staff who every day are committed to providing the best possible service to patients in their care which was also recognised by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

“We had been very honest with the CQC about what we do well and the areas where we know we need to improve and that openness and honesty has been acknowledged by the CQC. Work has already begun on the areas where we need to make improvement and this will be a key area of focus over the coming weeks and months.

“I hope that when people read the report it will demonstrate that we have a workforce dedicated to ensuring the needs of our patients are at the centre of everything we do”. Dr Geoff Stephenson, medical director of NHS Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “This is a reflection of the hard work the Trust has undertaken to ensuring they deliver the best possible care for patients.

“We will continue to work with the Trust on those areas identified for improvement.”